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November 2, 2012

Why Wasn't I Healed 1 of 4

Tonight I'd like to talk to you about a subject that is very close to my heart. A subject that causes a lot of pain to people. A lot of different teachings, a lot of condemnation, and simply it's about healing. In our situation, my husband happens to have some medical issues. It's been very difficult for him through the years. People have prayed for us and we haven't seen dramatic results in healing. We had some of the finest people pray over us. People with very strong healing ministries. The question is always, "Why didn't I get healed?" or "Why didn't he get healed?" Perhaps it's that you don't have the faith.

When Jesus went to Nazareth He couldn't do much, except He could heal a few people because of the unbelief and the hardness of the hearts of the people. I haven't found that to be the case in the majority of situations and I'll explain to you why. For my husband's particular medical condition, he might be suffering pain at the moment and I'll reach over and lay my hand on him and pray for him and the pain will stop. Now this happens a lot, but then there other times that the pain doesn't stop. So, here you have a situation where the gift of healing is in operation and the faith of the recipient of the gift is in operation, but for some reason the healing doesn't take place all the time. Why is that? I believe that it has to do with the Lord's cross.

Going to Scripture, I'd like to show you where that can be found. In Colossians 1:24 (NLT) It says," I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for His body the church". In the KJV it says, "Who now rejoices in my suffering for you and fill up that which is behind the afflictions of Christ in the flesh for His body sake, which is the church". One more translation, "I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ to continue in His body the church".

So, addressing this subject as to why some people are healed and some aren't when faith is present and the gift of healing is in operation. Let's take a look at the Cross and what the Lord says about the cross over and over again. He began to teach them the son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priest and the teachers of the law and that He must be killed after three days and rise again. He spoke plainly about this and Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him but when Jesus turned and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, "Get behind me, Satan. You do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men." Then he called the crowd to him along with His disciples and said, "If any one would come after me, he must deny himself take up his cross and follow me." (Luke 9:21-23)

What did Christ accomplish on the cross? Our salvation. When we look at the economy of salvation and sanctification, what He did He did once and for all - He opened Heaven and He released the captives from the world below. We were given access through His blood and through His suffering and given Heaven. The most marvelous thing took place. What did He ask us to do while we were here? He said, "Deny yourself and pick up your Cross and follow me." What do we call the Cross? I look at Paul's situation when he was given the thorn in his side. "I now rejoice in my sufferings for you fill up that which is behind the affliction of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake which is the church." (Luke 9:23) Certainly the Lord suffered in His body and it can never be duplicated and there's no need for it to be duplicated. He asks us to pick up our cross and follow Him.

Not all of us are put into jail. Not all of us suffer stonings and beatings so, what kind of crosses to do we have in our life? What I'd like to propose to you is that there's ample evidence in the Scriptures that sometimes our cross is an illness and it's not God's intention to heal us of that illness. That for us, it is a source of fasting and offering unto God. It's denying our self and through that sacrifice graces being released. Hardship and suffering can very well be a cross for us. We don't necessarily suffer the things that missionaries suffer... that martyrs suffer. Certainly dying of cancer is a martyrdom of sorts. That's a very difficult thing. And why does the Lord allow this to happen, aside from the fact that He wants to have us so badly in Heaven with Him? He can't wait to release these earthly bonds so that He can love on us in Heaven and we can receive our reward. So, certainly that's part of His motive for allowing us to die from a disease and not healing us.

There are three people from the healing world: one person is healed and two people aren't healed. The person that's healed may be a new believer and the healing is a sign to them of their salvation. That's a beautiful thing. Maybe another gets healed who is a seasoned believer and they've been praying for a healing for a long time and finally they get their healing. So, let's say two out of the three get healed.

Then there's another seasoned believer, a very deeply committed Christian that prays for his church, prays for missionaries, prays for the world, and he's not healed. He walks out of that building still suffering... why? His attitude - disposition of heart - was the same as the other two people. The other two people were healed and he wasn't - why? There's no answer to that's easy, anyway. When the Lord said deny yourself and pick up your cross. What kind of cross was He talking about? I believe whatever He gives us that is difficult and we are receiving it out of obedience to Him and out of love for Him is a cross. It could be adopting children and starting an orphanage. It could be receiving news that you're very sick and there's no cure for what you got. What do you do in those cases? You pray and of course you want to be healed. Your family wants you to be healed. No one wants to carry that burden of that sickness.

What happens when the Lord doesn't heal you? Do you walk away feeling condemned because you didn't have the faith to receive the healing. I've seen this an awful lot in the body of Christ and it's sad, so sad to see a person who is sick, who comes with a pure heart and has examined their conscious and has no reason at all to believe that he's in sin or done anything that has been displeasing to the Lord. On the contrary, he has reason to believe that the peace the joy and salvation of the Lord are part of his daily life. He knows he's in God's will but God has allowed the suffering of this illness.

Why Wasn't I Healed 2 of 4

November 2, 2012

He knows he is in God's will, but God has allowed the suffering of this illness.

Well we used to live up on a mountain here in New Mexico, in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and we would have to ride by horseback to get to our mission up in the mountains...to our little chapel nestled in the mountains. My husband would go into Espanola, which is about 50 miles from here, and he would be busy with mission work on the streets. Boy, I tell you we would go through some things. I remember one winter, when we had sheep and horses, we couldn't give them water because it was so cold the water from the well was freezing. So what did we do? We had to build fires around the well to get enough water melted so that it would go down to the horse pen and the sheep pen and have what they needed. It was unbelievable what we went through for just a few drops ...the biting cold, wet feet, frozen fingers, and different tools to break the ice up and get the fire going around the well. We would just suffer a whole lot from that. My son and I would look at each other and say, "Boy, dad must be having a very productive time in Espanola because this certainly is a cross. Sure enough, he'd come home three or four days later and say, "Honey, you just wouldn't believe what the Lord did. I would say, "If it has anything to do with what we suffered, I totally would believe it."

We began to recognize a pattern and the pattern was simply that suffering would come to us at a time when we were praying for certain people. Sometimes people would come to me for prayer and tell me how much pain they were in and the first thing I would ask them was, "Who are you praying for?" The pattern we've seen is when we are in deep intercession for a person, it doesn't even have to be a sound, fervent prayer. It's consent of the will.

Let's just say that a person comes to us for prayer and they tell us they have loved ones who are caught up in the drug culture. They're really suffering and in very dangerous positions. And then other people will say, "I've been praying for so-and-so, and so-and-so." I have noticed I can take on a prayer burden for someone and not even get into the burden, but just say, "Yes, I'll pray for you," and they can be going through tremendous upheaval and tremendously difficult times and I'll either get a severe headache or something will happen physically to my body that is very painful. I recognize that it's...well I have fibromyalgia. so I don't have to wait long. I will recognize that there is a connection between the cross of fibromyalgia and the person I'm praying for.

I may not even be in prayer. I may not be shedding tears and pleading with Heaven. It's just the consent of my will and the Lord gave me a cross. I received that cross, knowing that it wasn't for me to be healed but for me to use to heal others.

Some people would argue that grace can't be bought. I'm not saying grace is be bought by the cross. What I'm saying is what did the Lord do with His cross? By His suffering He relieved many burdens we have. And when He said, "Deny yourself pick up your cross and follow me." He's expecting us to carry a burden of some kind for humanity, for the sanctification of souls.

He did everything necessary for salvation, but what about those missionaries that are deep in the jungle and are having difficulty getting to the tribes that have never heard the good news? Salvation is coming with those missionaries, but their suffering is through dysentery or maybe malaria and it's very difficult for them to get through. When people are back here in the states praying for them and offering up their crosses for those people in the mission field, the blockades move to the side and those missionaries move in and the hearts of the people are open to receive the Word of God, to receive salvation, and sanctification.

So, we didn't create salvation by our prayers, or sufferings, or our cross, but we certainly aided the missionaries who were carrying the finished work of the cross to those people. That's exciting. That's so exciting. You people out there who are sick, you have no idea the power of your prayers. They're unbelievably powerful.

So many of us who have been in pain are suffering incredible depression, because we're saying we can't do the things we want to do. We want to serve the Lord this way and serve the Lord that way but we prevented from doing it because we're sick. Let me tell you something, people: God gave you a precious, golden cross that is accomplishing so much more than you could possibly accomplish on your own going to those people. You're backing someone up. You're opening a heart. You're defrosting some souls that have been frozen in ice forever. Every single time you receive a cross from the Lord, whether it be sickness, or whether it be a well that's frozen solid and it's now producing water - whether it be a traffic jam, be it a toothache... we've seen some amazing miracles with toothaches! No matter what it is that God allows in your life, that's a suffering. It is a cross. If He chooses to leave that cross with you, you shouldn't lay under condemnation that you weren't healed.

You see, people don't understand and they beat you and they beat you and they tell you "by His stripes you are healed." Ok, I believe that. So... why didn't He heal me? I'm not saying that's not true. He healed the person next to me. He healed me last week of something else - but why didn't he heal me of this?

I'm finding out more and more, when you receive a cross like cancer, MS, fibromyalgia... God is using your suffering to release graces to souls. You are in the midst of an incredible fast offering and you should be joyful about it. You shouldn't be beating yourself up and sad because you're not healed and the person next to you was.

God loves you and He sees the strength of your love for Him. Because He sees this, He allows you to carry that cross of that illness, because He knows that you will carry it with love. I do so want the body of Christ to understand that, when you are sick or suffering, you are doing a very profoundly important work for Jesus. The time that you are not healed, to the time that you are healed, incredible things are happening. You won't see them now...well you might...you might see those results in your family and in your children. But if you don't see those results, the Lord is hiding it from you. And some day, when you go to be with Him, you're going to find out just how much good your suffering did, because you received it as a cross. It's been on my heart to share for a long time.

Going back to what we said. He began to teach them the Son of man must suffer many things. We know we're going to be rejected for being a Christian and we know we can get martyred and killed, that can happen. Peter was thinking as a man thinks. The Lord said, "Get behind me Satan. You do not have the mind the things of God but the things of men." Man thinks we should be healthy, prosperous, and happy. The Kingdom of God is not food or drink. It's righteousness, peace, and joy. It's not things that pertain to the carnal body. It's things that pertain to your heart, your mind, and your spirit. That was the purpose of His Cross: to releases graces for us. What He did is far greater than anything we could ever do, but He is allowing us to participate in that. Just as Paul said, "I am glad for you when I suffer in my body because I am participating in the sufferings of Christ." Wait of minute, He wasn't being crucified. Well, he suffered being shipwrecked, being bitten by a poisonous snake. He did suffer being stoned.

Why Wasn't I Healed 3 of 4

November 2, 2012

Paul suffered a lot of things but he also had a thorn in his side. 2 Corinthians 12:7 "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these passingly great revelations." He was talking about being transported into the third Heaven, which is the Heaven, Heaven. "...There was given me a thorn in the flesh. A messenger of Satan to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me but He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in your weakness."'

You see what I am saying? You're in that wheelchair and you can't get out of that wheelchair and you're suffering that infirmity. God is transforming that cross of that infirmity into power. The more helpless you are to do anything about your condition, the greater the power of the cross that He's given you. He only gives those crosses to those that deeply love Him, and are very strong in their love for Him and they're willing to sacrifice and say, " Your will be done, Lord. If you choose not to heal me, then I understand. It's not because there's something wrong with me or something wrong with the person that prayed for me. It's because you've given me a cross and that cross is working a weight of glory. I can't see it but I believe it because you said it."

"My power is made perfect in weakness, therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness so that Christ's power may rest on me." Here he was taking about his flesh. He was talking this thorn that brought him almost to a state of despair. Three times he begged the Lord, "Please take this away from me!" but the Lord said, "No, that thorn in your side has so much power. You have no idea now, but you're going to see it one day. You're going to see the power that that thorn was working in your life. My grace, in the meantime, is sufficient for you. You don't need anything more."

I can imagine he was very distracted by that. If he called it a thorn in his side, it must have been pretty disturbing. I'm sure he had trouble writing, trouble thinking, he may have had trouble moving around. That's a cross. The man was brilliant. Look what he accomplished? That wasn't him accomplishing it. It was that thorn plus Jesus, working through him. Graces were being continually released through Paul, through his thorn, and through his suffering. So, this is really good news for people who are sick. Because when you feel infirm and you feel helpless - you're not helpless.

Now this is an exception to this, I want to talk about for a moment. Let's say that you go to that healing conference and you do get a healing. Two of you get a healing and the other person doesn't. That cross stays with that person. Then, you all go home, and pretty soon the symptoms start to creep back in on one of the people. For the other person there are no more symptoms. They are totally freed of that infirmity.

Here is some news and this is important for us to know. This is a prayer you can pray anytime to maintain your healing. There are spirits that will come and imitate and create symptoms in your body that mimic what you were just healed of. These tormenting spirits are called spirits of Lying Symptoms. Again, bringing to mind my husband's pain. I just prayed for him 15 minutes ago and he was totally relieved of the pain. So, I know he was healed 15 minutes ago. Why is the pain back? I will simply pray, "You lying symptoms, in the Name of the Lord of Jesus Christ, I command you to loose him and don't ever come back, and don't send for reinforcements. Loose him."

Now if I think there's a demon involved I'll tell him to go to the abyss, because that's what the Lord has instructed us to do (Luke 8:31). You will be shocked at how you will feel better instantly. Absolutely shocked and amazed that your peace is restored and your body is restored and you feel good again. Can you believe it? Just by praying a simple prayer. "You lying symptom, I was healed and I command you in the Name of Jesus to don't ever come back." Then all of a sudden you feel fine. There's no mystery. We are surrounded in the second heaven by the demons and the first heaven, the spirits of the air, down here where we are. They can't do anything to us without the Lord's permission. They really love to make a Christian lose hope and lose their healing.

What I'm saying here is you can take authority over those demons the minute you recognize the symptoms returning. And you know you got your healing, because the symptoms immediately lifted off when you were prayed for and now they are starting to creep back in. Take authority over them right then and there. Command them in the Name of Jesus to loose your body. Pay attention, because they'll try to come back.

These are things that will really help us to understand the dynamics of healing and for the economy of salvation. Every single person on this planet has a part to play. They have an important part to play in the salvation of souls, whether they are aware of it in their intellect or not. There are things going on in the spiritual realm that we are involved in that we have no clue about. They are still happening. There are amazing things going on.

I will tell you a little story here. We knew some folks and the man had been in Vietnam and he was an alcoholic. One day he confessed to us that thing that caused him more torment and more pain, and caused him to drink. My heart was just rent for this man. I prayed and prayed and prayed for him. What had happened actually, is that he was standing guard at a post in Vietnam and a woman came in with a basket. She was going towards the kitchen to take some things there. She gave the basket to the little boy and told him to take it into the kitchen. She immediately turned and ran in the other direction. The man saw this and this huge bomb went off. It killed the little boy and everyone in the kitchen and dining area. This horrible thing has haunted him his lifelong.

I went to prayer for him and the Lord showed me something - and I'll never forget this. I saw that I was in New York City near central park and there was a little boy who was a child of a drug addicts. He didn't know who his father was. His mother was an addict and also a prostitute. This little boy was so lost and so confused, and in so much pain. He went into Central Park and he had a red and white striped t-shirt on that was dirty and dirty jeans. He was by one of the ponds there and I saw the Lord Jesus standing there. He came and held the little boy and they talked for while.

In the next scene, the little boy left and he was crossing the street and he was killed and hit by a truck. The Lord spoke to me and He said, "That little child, that soul, had an agreement with Me to offer his life and to come live in Heaven with Me. Before he was born, he knew - his spirit knew - the conditions he would be born into and that he would not live out his days. But that God would rescue him and take him out of that situation."

There are some people who probably won't believe what I'm relating to you. That's alright, I understand. Take it to the Lord. We always have to discern the spirits. What I was given to understand is that the soul, apart from the intellect, was very aware of the circumstances of the life that God was giving them and he knew that he was going to be taken out of his misery. He knew what the misery was and now he is in Heaven. There are things that go on, people, in the spirit realm that are out of this world. Disney has nothing on God. God's ways are not our ways.

Turning to Isaiah 55:8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways My ways." New Living Translation: "My thoughts are nothing like your thought says the Lord and My ways are far beyond what you could imagine. Eye has not seen ear has not heard neither has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him." Philippians 3:18 Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is their shame. Their mind is on earthly things but our citizenship is in heaven."

What's Heaven's agenda? Salvation and sanctification. That's our homeland. So, the Lord said Don't worry about what you're going to eat or what you're going to wear. That's what the pagans run after. Rather seek first the kingdom of God and the things that you need will be added unto you (Matthew 6:31). 1 Corinthians 1:18 Paul said, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 3:18 "Do not deceive yourself if any one of the you think he is wise by the standards of this age.

That's the naysayers who say, "That couldn't have happened. That's just a made up story."

"He should become a fool to confound the wise for the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight." (1 Corinthians 1:27)

Why Wasn't I Healed 4 of 4

November 2, 2012

Romans 8:17 "Now we are children and heirs of God and coheirs with Christ. If indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory."

Again, His suffering was the Cross. Well, it was a lot more than just that. He was denied by the very same people He came to save. And yes, we will be denied - that's one of the sufferings. But don't tell me that your sickness isn't a cross. You know your sickness is a cross, and there is so much God is doing with that sickness until He chooses to heal you. The healing could come in the form of you leaving your earthly tent behind, or the healing could come in the form of someone praying over you and all of a sudden, you're healed. And you're freed from that infirmity. Until that healing comes, there's work to do. Things are going on. There are powerful graces being released from that work of that cross. The complications to your life, your loved ones - all of us feel terrible when we are sick and we're a burden to other people. What could be more miserable? You're a burden to yourself and you're a burden to others? That's a heart cross, but you have to understand there is sanctification going on in that household. The ones who are suffering with you because of all the work they have to do to take care of you are also being sanctified. They are being made complete lacking in nothing as James says (James 1:4). It's through their perseverance. So, even in situations where you feel terrible because you've got it terrible, I've got news for you: you are a cross that is bringing forth virtue into their personality and their character. You are preparing them for Heaven. It's a beautiful thing. Very hard, very difficult, very painful... but a beautiful dynamic.

The other thing about the cross that is so powerful is humiliation. Being humbled, just as I talked about. You're in a household and you're a burden to other people - that is so humbling. Maybe you can't get up and go to the restroom. You have to be helped in that way. That is so humiliating and so humbling. But you see, how humble was the Lord, that any of us ever attain to that kind of humility? Yes, through the cross we can be very much like the Lord. He asks us to be that way. In fact, Paul says, to keep me from becoming conceited Because of his revelations he was given that thorn, right? (2 Corinthians 12:7)

How many times when we're sick do we feel like nothing? I mean we're worst than nothing. A deficit. A burden. In Philippians 2:6 it says, "The Lord, who being in very nature of God did not consider equality with God to be grasped at but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant. Being made into human likeness and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death. Even death on a cross."

There's nothing in our lives that could be as humiliating as what Jesus went through. Let me tell you, when you have to suffer tremendous, humiliating situations because of a condition of your body, you're very close to Him. You're beginning to look very much like Him. One thing He's continually telling me is, "My Bride, you must resemble Me. That is the reason for your sufferings. I want you to resemble Me. When you come to Heaven, such glory will be yours for the crosses that you carried."

Never mind if you've complained. I hope that I'm giving you a perspective on this, so that you'll stop complaining and start thanking the Lord. This is something He's been working with me for a long time about and my husband, as well.

The glory will be ours, because we received those crosses and we carried them faithfully without becoming bitter, angry, or disillusioned. Maybe we had to deal with depression sometimes. Even that can be a terrible cross to carry. If we know the Lord and we love Him, He will communicate His grace, mercy, love, and His comfort to us and whisper into our hearts, "Beloved, there's nothing wrong with your faith and there's no great sin in your life. I'm sharing the Cross with you. Will you help Me carry it?"

You see, the Lord is going to suffer pain until the very day that this whole mess is wrapped up and every soul's destiny has been decided. He's going to suffer, because He has created us. And when we suffer, He suffers terribly. He cries with us, He hurts with us. His compassion is beyond reckoning. You can't understand God's compassion. It is so much higher than anything we could ever imagine.

When you're carrying that cross, He's right there with you. The Lord whispers in your ear, "There's nothing wrong with you, you're not lacking in faith. There's no condemnation, there... was nothing wrong with the gift of healing. This is a cross that I've given you and because you have carried it with love and devotion for Me, I've united your suffering to My suffering on the Cross, and great glory will be yours in Heaven. And you will see all the beautiful things that were accomplished through your suffering."

Relatives that eventually came to the Lord, loved ones that were released from drugs, missionaries that were successful and brought a whole tribe of souls to Jesus. How beautiful. Truly, the Lord's ways are not our ways. Don't let anyone lie to you and tell you there's something wrong with you because you didn't get healed. There's nothing wrong with you.

Jesus is sharing His cross.

God bless you.